Portable commode



Feb. 10,'v 1970 ,n.vl.. sun-H 3,493,974

v PORTABLE comme Filed' w. 2:5. 196e Fig. i

INVENTOR.

Fig. y y l I DANIEL L SMITH M, Gwfrm ATTORNEYS United States Patent O 3,493,974 PORTABLE COMMODE Daniel L. Smith, Fort Myers, Fla., assignor, by mesne assignments, to Sani-Go-Go, Inc., Fort Myers, Fla., a corporation of Florida Filed Nov. 23, 1966, Ser. No. 596,510 Int. Cl. A47k 11/02, 13/00 U.S. Cl. 4-116 3 Claims ABSTRACT F THE DISCLOSURE The present invention is a portable commode and comprises a receptacle having a removable top assembly. The top assembly comprises an apertured top wall and a pair of mating laterally and upwardly opening covers hingedly mounted on said top wall, the edges of said covers remote from their hinge axes meeting, when said covers are parallel with said top wall, to close the aperture in said top wall. Treadle-actuated means is provided for opening the covers.

The present invention relates to a commode, and is primarily concerned with the provision of a device, preferably portable or semi-portable, which may be readily installed to take care of toilet needs where it is not practical to install either a water-carried sewage system or a sanitary pit arrangement. Devices of the general character with which the present invention is concerned nd their primary utility in roadside parks, picnic areas, multi-level building construction, labor, gang areas, armed forces training areas and with traveling show units such as circuses, Carnivals and the like.

It is a primary object of my invention to provide a unit of the character above-described which is simple and inexpensive in construction and yet capable of longcontinued use, which is convenient to use, clean and store, and which is as sanitary as possible. The present invention is an improvement over prior art devices in that improved means are provided for maintaining the receptacle normally closed against the entrance and exit of insects and against the emanation of eluvia. The means for maintaining the receptacle normally closed includes means for automatically opening the receptacle for use.

Another object of the invention is to provide such a commode which, when the receptacle is closed, may be used as a seat or a platform in, for instance, a trailer or the like. Of course, chemicals can be used to inhibit odors.

Still further objects of the invention will appear as the description proceeds.

To the accomplishment of the above and related objects, my invention may be embodied in the forms illustrated in the accompanying drawing, attention being called to the fact, however, that the drawing is illustrative only, and that change may be made in the specific constructions illustrated and described, so long as the scope of the appended claims is not violated.

FIG. 1 is a front elevation of a commode constructed in accordance with my invention, the commode being shown in a non-use condition with the receptacle closed;

FIG. 2 is a front elevation of the commode shown in FIG. 1, the commode being shown in a use condition with the receptacle open, the illustration being partially cut away to show another embodiment of the invention wherein a container for receiving waste is placed in the main receptacle;

FIG. 3 is a side elevation of the commode shown in FIG. l and illustrating a treadle-actuated means for opening the covers on said commode; and

FIG. 4 is an enlarged, fragmentary view showing a releasable connection between the aforementioned treadleactuated means and one of the covers for said commode.

Referring more particularly to the drawing, it will be seen that my invention comprises a main receptacle, indicated generally by the reference number 10, which maV take any desired form but which may preferably be boxshaped as illustrated in FIGS. 1, 2 and 3. The illustrative embodiment, therefore, includes a front wall 11, rear wall 12, first side wall 13, second side wall 14, and a top wall 15 having a centrally located aperture 16 formed therein.

In one embodiment of my invention, the top wall 15 and all of the hardware assembled thereon is removable from the front and rear walls 11 and 12 and lirst and second side walls 13 and 14. In this embodiment of the invention, the top wall 15 is held in registry on the front and rear walls 11 and 12 and rst and second side walls 13 and 14 by corner brackets 17 which, in the illustrative embodiment, are rigidly attached to the top wall 15. The corner brackets 17 are provided with internal, right-angles which receive the right-angle corners of the receptacle 10.

A conventional toilet seat member 18 is mounted on the top surface of the top wall 15 so as to have its aperture in registry Withthe aperture 16.

A pair of laterally and upwardly opening covers 19 and 20 is hingedly mounted on the top wall 15, the edges of said covers remote from their hinge axes meeting, when lsaid covers are parallel with said top wall, to close the aperture 16. In the illustrative embodiment, the cover 19 is hingedly mounted on the top Wall 15 by hinges 21 which are adjacent to the first side wall 13 and the cover 20 is hingedly mounted on the top wall 15 by hinges 22 which are adjacent to the second side wall 14. The covers 19 and 20 are provided with cut-outs 23' and 24', respectively, which receive the seat member 18 which normally rests on the top surface of the top wall 15 and may, if desired, be hinged thereto.

I have provided a treadle-actuated means for opening the covers 19 and 20. Specifically, I have provided arms 23 and 24 rigidly attached to the covers 19 and 20, respectively. Each of the arms 23 and 24 has an end portion 25 and 26, respectively, which extends laterally outwardly beyond the axis of the associated hinge 21 or 22, respectively. A lever 27 is fulcrumed at one of its ends about a stud 28 extending from a lower, rearward portion of the first side wall 13. A similar lever 29 is fulcrumed about a stud '30 extending outwardly from a lower rearward portion of the second side Wall 14. The ends of the levers 27 and 29 opposite their respective fulcrum points extend outwardly beyond the front wall 11 as clearly seen in FIG. 3. The end of each of the levers 27 and 29 which is adjacent to the front wall 11 is yieldably urged toward the top Wall 15. In the illustrative embodiment, the lever 27 is urged upwardly by a tension spring 31 connected between said lever and the rst side wall 13 of the receptacle 10 and the lever 29 is similarly urged by a tension spring connected between said lever and the second side wall 14 of the receptacle. A link 33 provdesa connection between the end portion 25 of the arm 23 and the lever 27 and a similar link 34 provides a connection between the end portion 26 of the arm 24 and the lever 29. ln the preferred form of my invention, the link 33 has one of its ends pivotally and releasably connected to the end portion 25 of the arm 23 and the other of its ends pivotally connected to a central portion of the lever 27. Similarly, the link 34 has one of its ends pivotally and releasably connected to the end portion 26 of the arm 24 and the other of its ends pivotally connected to the central portion of the lever 29 as shown in FIG. 3. One suitable form of pivotal and releasable connection between the end portion 26 of the arm 24 and the link 34 is shown in the enlarged, fragmentary view of FIG. 4. The connection shown in FIG. 4, which is identical to the pivotal and releasable connection between the link 33 and the end portion 25 of the arm 23, comprises a snap-bolt 35 secured to the end portion 26 by a nut 36. A hole 37 is provided in the link 34 for receiving the hook portion of the snap-bolt 35. The snap-bolt 35 is provided with a leaf-spring clip 38 which retains the link 34 on the hook bolt 35 when the link is moved upwardly. When it is desired to release the connection, the clip 38 is manually pressed inwardly on the hook portion of the snap-bolt 35 and the link 34 is removed therefrom, It is desirable to break the connection between the links 33 and 34 and their respective arms 23 and 24 so that the top wall can be removed from the front and rear walls 11 and 12 and rst and second side walls 13 and 14.

. A platform member or treadle 39, which traverses the front wall 11, is pivotally connected to the distal ends of the levers 27 and 29. The pivotal connection between the platform member 39 and the lever 29, which is identical to the pivotal connection between the platform 39 and the lever 27, is indicated by the reference number 40 in FIG. 3. A stop, indicated by the reference number 41, is disposed on the lever 29 and a similar stop, not shown, is similarly disposed on the lever 27, said stops being arranged to position said platform member 39 parallel to the levers 27 and 29 as suggested by the dashed-line drawing of the platform member 39 and the lever 29 in FIG. 3. In its non-use condition, the platform member 39 is folded upwardly so that it is substantially perpendicular to the levers 27 and 29 and out of the way. In the illustrative embodiment, in its nonuse condition, the platform member 39 is folded against the front wall 11 of the receptacle 10.

In operation of the treadle-actuated means described above, the covers 19 and 20 will be opened in the direction indicated by the arrows 42 and 43, respectively, when the platform member 39 is moved from its normal position suggested by the solid-line drawing of said member in FIG. 3 to the position suggested by the dashedline drawing of said member in FIG. 3. The covers 19 and are maintained in their open position, shown in FIG. 2, as long as the platform member 39 is maintained in its lowermost position. It is anticipated that a user of the commode will keep at least one foot on the platform member 39 to hold it in its lowermost position. When the commode is not being used, the springs 31 and 32 will be effective to raise the levers 27 and 29 to close the covers 19 and 20.

In one embodiment of the present invention, a second receptacle, indicated by the reference number 44 in FIG. 2, is arranged to be received in the main receptacle 10 to receive the waste deposited through the aperture 16. Thus, the receptacle 44 must have an open top or an aperture in its top wall which is in registry with aperture 16. In the illustrative embodiment, I have provided a bracket 45 on each side of the second receptacle 44 to provide means for positioning the receptacle 44 in the main receptacle 10. The brackets 45 may also be used to remove the receptacle 44 from the main receptacle 10 when the top Wall 15 is removed.

In another embodiment of the present invention, the main receptacle 10 is provided without a oor and the entire main receptacle 10 is arranged to be set down over a receptacle, such as the receptacle 44. In such an embodiment, it is not necessary for the top wall 15 to be removable from the front and rear walls 11 and 12 and first and second side walls 13 and 14.

In still another embodiment of my invention, the Waste is deposited directly into the main receptacle 10 and may be removed from said receptacle by a pump-out service or through a valve, such as the valve 46 indicated in FIG. 3. In any embodiment of the invention, it is preferable to have a vent, such as indicated gen-- erally by the reference number 47 in FIG. 3.

What is claimed is:

1. A portable commode comprising a receptacle, said receptacle having a top assembly comprising an apertured top wall and a pair of laterally and upwardly opening covers hingedly mounted on said top wall, the edges of said covers remote from their hinge axes meeting, when said covers are parallel with said top wall, to close the aperture in said top wall, treadle-actuated means operatively arranged to open said covers, said treadle-actuated means comprising a pair of levers fulcrumed at opposite sides of said receptable, spring means urging the frontwardly extending portions of said levers toward said top wall, an arm rigidly fastened to each of said covers, each of said arms having an end portion extending laterally outwardly from and above the hinge axis of its associated cover and side of said receptacle, links located at opposite sides of said receptacle and arranged to provide a connection between the end portions of said arms and the frontwardly extending portions of said levers, and a treadle traversing the front of said receptacle, said treadle being connected to the frontwardly extending portions of said levers.

2. A device of the class described comprising a receptacle having front and rear walls, first and second side walls, and a top wall having a centrally located aperture therein, a seat member arranged on the top surface of said top wall, said seat 'member having an aperture therein which is in `reigstry with said first-mentioned aperture, a pair of covers, respectively hinged adjacent the opposite sides of said top wall, the edges of said covers remote from their hinge axes meeting, when said covers are parallel to said top wall, to provide a closure for said top wall aperture, said covers being provided `with cutouts for receiving said seat member, an arm rigidly attached to each of said covers, each of said arms having an end portion extending outwardly beyond and substantially perpendicular to the hinge axis of its associated cover and the side wall adjacent to said hinge axis, linkage means operatively connected to each of said arms and arranged to pivot said covers about their respective hinge axes, each of said linkage means comprising a lever having one of its ends fulcrumed at the lower, rearward portion of the adjacent side wall and its other end extending outwardly beyond said front wall, link means having one of its ends pivotally connected to said lever and its other end pivotally connected to said end portion of its associated arm, and spring means for urging said lever toward said top wall, thereby closing its associated cover on said top wall, a platform member traversing said front wall, said platform member spanning said levers and being connected to said other ends of said levers, and stop means provided on each of said levers, said platform member being movable between a position substantially parallel with said levers and abutting said stop means, and a position substantially perpendicular to said levers, each of said linkage means being operatively arranged to pivot its associated cover upwardly from said top wall when said platform member is moved downwardly in opposition to said spring means.

3. The device of claim 2 in which said top wall is loosely removably seated on said front, rear and side walls, and in which the connection between said link means and said arms is a readily releasable connection.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS Stevens 297-433 Ortlepp 297-433 Cloutier 297-433 Rashleigh et al 4-138 Breul 24-237 Kendall 4-251 Coppedge 4-251 -Pavlik 4-140 1,343,830 6/ 1920 Kinch 4-251 1,863,295 6/1932 Bukovitz 4-251 FOREIGN PATENTS 5 389,373 3/ 1933 Great Britain.

363,239 9/1938 Italy. 132,473 4/ 1929 Switzerland.

LAVERNE D. GEIGER, Primary Examiner 10 D. B. MASSENBERG, Assistant Examiner U.S. C1. X.R. 

